Organic Chemistry Glassware Kit, 9 pieces

Quick Answer: The organic chemistry glassware kit is a 9-piece set of ground-glass jointed apparatus for small-scale synthesis. The listing photo shows a round-bottom flask, a condenser with hose connections, a dropping funnel with stopcock, bent and side-arm adapters, stoppers and a joint clip, parts that assemble into reflux and distillation set-ups.

Jointed Glassware for Reflux and Distillation

Organic practicals rarely use a single vessel. Heating a reaction under reflux, distilling off a product or adding a reagent slowly all need several pieces of glass joined gas-tight. In jointed glassware every piece ends in a tapered ground-glass cone or socket of matching size, so the parts push together without corks or rubber bungs and can be rearranged for each experiment.

The photo shows the main building blocks: a small round bottom flask, a condenser with an inner tube and two hose barbs for cooling water, a dropping funnel with a stopcock, a bent adapter for leading vapour down to a receiver, an adapter with a side arm, stoppers and a plastic joint clip. The listing gives the count as nine pieces; confirm which items make up the nine before planning groups.

With these parts a student can build a reflux assembly by standing the condenser upright on the flask, then turn the condenser sideways with the bent adapter to distil the product off, as in a simple distillation assembly. The dropping funnel sits on the flask when a reagent must be added drop by drop to control an exothermic reaction.

Specifications

Applications

• Preparing an ester under reflux, then rearranging the same glass to distil off the product
• Adding a reagent drop by drop from the dropping funnel to keep a reaction under control
• Teaching students to assemble, clamp and check jointed apparatus before heating
• Small-scale preparations in sixth-form, college and first-year university labs

Care & Handling

• Grease the joints of the organic chemistry glassware kit very lightly, or fit joint sleeves, wherever they will be heated, so they do not seize.
• Clamp the flask and the condenser separately; the joints are not meant to carry the weight of the glass below them.
• Separate joints after each practical, before they cool and stick, and store the pieces apart.
• Connect cooling water to the lower hose barb of the condenser and let it leave from the upper one.

Why Choose LabEquip

Teachers introducing jointed glassware at advanced school or first-year college level buy this 9-piece kit so that each group has a complete, compatible set. LabEquip lists it in its chemistry lab equipment; ask about joint size and spare flasks through the contact page.

Frequently Asked Questions

What can be built with the 9-piece kit?

The pieces assemble into a reflux set-up, with the condenser upright on the flask, and a simple distillation set-up, with the condenser angled down through the bent adapter. The dropping funnel adds controlled addition of a reagent.

Why do the joints need grease or sleeves?

Ground-glass joints can seize, especially after heating or contact with alkaline solutions. A thin film of grease or a PTFE sleeve seals the joint and lets it be separated later; too much grease contaminates the product.

Which way should cooling water flow through the condenser?

In at the lower connection and out at the upper one. Filling from the bottom keeps the jacket full of water and gives the most cooling along its length.

Can the flask be heated directly on a hot plate?

A round-bottom flask sits poorly on a flat hot plate. Heat it in a heating mantle or a water or oil bath matched to its size, and add anti-bumping granules before heating.

Why must the apparatus never be sealed when heated?

Heating a closed system builds pressure until something fails. A reflux or distillation set-up must always be open to the air, usually at the top of the condenser or at the receiver end.

Are the parts compatible with other jointed glassware?

Jointed glass connects only with pieces of the same joint size. Check the size marked on the joints before combining this kit with flasks or adapters from another set.

Last Updated: September 2026